iTrips to be legal by year end in UK?

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Yes, we know they’re for sale in the UK already – but the use of an iTrip (or similar variation) is still illegal in this country. However, that could change by the end of the year.

The UK’s communications regulator Ofcom has formally proposed the legalisation of the low-power FM transmitters used to play an iPod’s output to a nearby radio. The agency said it hopes it could have a Europe-wide legislative framework in place by the end of the year.

Whilst being legal to use in the US, the iTrip falls foul of the law in the UK because it contravenes the 1949 Wireless Telegraphy Act, which guarantees spectrum licence holders unobstructed access to their favoured frequencies. As the FM band on which the iTrip operates is licensed spectrum, Ofcom has had to ban the gadgets, despite their range being incredibly short and unlikely to cause interference.